The invention relates to a modular column display system especially suitable for thin objects, used to exhibit goods or pamphlets, and to adapter elements and angular adapters for merchandise boxes for display systems.
Modular column display systems for merchandise or pamphlets having a plurality of merchandise boxes configured around an up-right support post are disclosed in, amongst others, DE-U 23 77 269.
Furthermore, DE 295 06 656 discloses a modular merchandise display system comprising an upright, central support post which has regularly undercut recesses, for example in the form of undercut longitudinal slots, as well as merchandise supports attached to the support post, said merchandise supports including attachment means corresponding to said recesses, said attachment means allowing said merchandise supports to be attached directly to the support post at the positions indicated by said recesses. In this case, the individual merchandise supports, which may be of random dimensions and shape, are not in the form of rack plates and can thus be anchored laterally in the recesses of the support post. Compared to the prior art display columns comprising replaceable rack plates, the disclosed display system has the great advantage that, instead of entire rack plates, its individual merchandise support modules, e.g. in the form of boxes, can be easily replacedxe2x80x94which makes the entire system extremely flexible and adaptable.
Furthermore, FR-A 2 718 932 describes a display stand for oblong objects, DE-U-92 17 446 relates to a copy holder, and U.S. Pat. 5,337,904 discloses a remote control support.
The prior art systems suffer from the shortcoming that only a limited number of merchandise supports can be attached around the support post. Normally, up to 6 merchandise boxes can be arranged on a common height level around the support posts usually consisting of hollow plastic tubes of a diameter of between 5 to 15 cm. In a configuration stepwise staggered in height disclosed in the abovementioned utility model specification, approx. 7 merchandise boxes can be arranged on one height level. For broad insertion compartments in the merchandise boxes, as used e.g. for displaying books, the display effect accomplished together with optimum economy of space is extremely satisfactory.
An altogether quite different situation, however, is when narrow insertion compartments for relatively thin merchandise such as newspapers, magazines, greetings cards, maps, prospectuses, packaged tights and the like are to be arranged around and attached to a support post or a rotary column, and the goods in question are to be displayed in an appropriate manner. What is of importance here no longer is keeping the dead space on and around the support post at a minimum, but rather the need to display a maximum of the goods surface, that is newspaper front pages, the pictures of postcards and the like, in a conspicuous and clearly visible manner.
A large goods surface is displayed when one-pieced rack plates of the prior art are used, in which case two insertion compartments each, defining an angle between them, have directly adjacent withdrawal openings facing radially outward, and a major number of pairs of such insertion compartments are arranged on one rack plate in what resembles the shape of a star. However, this advantage is paid for with a design which does not allow individual adaptations.
It is the object of the invention to provide a display system with multiple individual adjustment possibilities and whose modules are easy and economical to produce.
In particular, the invention is to provide a variable column display system with individually replaceable merchandise support modules which allows different configurations of merchandise supports on one height level for an optimum display of a plurality of different, and in particular thin, display objects.
According to the invention, this object is accomplished by features of claims 1, 2, 8 and 12.
By providing adapter elements and angular adapters for merchandise boxes, the invention makes it possible, without much effort, to realize a plurality of individually selectable configurations with one display system, which allows the use of support posts and merchandise boxes, which. are complex to produce, in different configurations. In this case, the adapter elements practically allow a variation of the effective support post diameter for attaching merchandise boxes. Not much technical effort is required for this purpose and the resulting weight increase is smaller for a column display system than would be the case if the support post were replaced.
Moreover, the angular adapters for merchandise boxes (for which only little production material is required), either alone or in combination with adapter elements, also contribute to broadening the scope of feasible configurations.
In a column display system, preferably at least one adapter element in the form of an adapter plate is attached to the support post, which adapter plate includes a central opening for passing the support post therethrough and has the actual merchandise boxes, or attaching means removably mounted on said merchandise boxes, in turn removably attached to its external portion.
One advantage of the invention is that the use of the adapter plate advantageously allows already existing support posts, e.g. used for arranging rack plates, to be provided with individual merchandise boxes laterally mounted thereon in a modular fashion. This also makes it possible to exploit axially rotatable support posts which are the static base element for numerous display systems, as well as pedestals or mounting units which ensure stability and, if necessary, mobility and constitute a regular high cost factor, for the purposes of the invention.
Now that there are adapter plates, rack plates which are inflexible in use and awkward to replace need no longer be used for displaying thin goods which need to be exhibited with their surfaces visible. In their stead, one and the same support post can be used advantageously for exhibiting goods of the most varied shapes, which consequently also need to be displayed differently.
For thick, large-volume goods, where the dead space around the support post needs to be minimized, one can use inventive adapter plates of appropriately small diameterxe2x80x94then resembling more an adapter ring, or the individual merchandise boxes can be mounted directly on the support post, by means of angular adapters for merchandise boxes, if necessary.
For problematic goods, i.e. thin and low-volume goods, which have so far required special rack plates or particularly thick support posts to be displayed in a useful and proper manner, one will choose an inventive adapter plate of appropriately larger diameter. A column display system thus equipped with different adapter plates and merchandise supports according to the invention is of uniform and appealing appearance.
The fact that the entire edge portion of each anchoring plate is available for removably attaching individual merchandise boxes thereto makes it possible to choose modes of attachment for the merchandise boxes which are by far easier to handle and more stable than is the case with modular systems of the prior art where each individual merchandise box needs to be attached directly to the scarce surface of the support post. The longer circumferential line available for attaching the merchandise supports or boxes considerably facilitates the attachment as well as any replacement of the merchandise boxes that may become necessaryxe2x80x94which is of special advantage if numerous small merchandise boxes are to be arranged on one height level. A stable attachment, capable of withstanding loads, of individual merchandise boxes to be arranged spaced radially from the support post only becomes feasible by means of the adapter plate.
In the embodiment set out below and illustrated in the drawings, an adapter plate of circular shape is described since a circular circumference will allow the merchandise boxes to be arranged virtually without steps, thus allowing the highest possible degree of flexibility for a different configuration of merchandise boxes of different design. However, the adapter plate may also have a polygonal circumferential line.
According to one advantageous embodiment of the invention, the adapter element is provided with marks or a corresponding grid so as to facilitate or also predetermine a proper and geometrically uniform configuration of the merchandise boxes. Such a feature is of particular advantage for complex configurations involving a large number of merchandise boxes. Moreover, it is advantageous if the marks or grids are accompanied by designations which may refer to a configuration specifically intended for a certain merchandise box type or number.
A grid may for example be applied on the adapter element in the form of designated recesses or holes which will accommodate positioning pegs, noses and the like on the merchandise boxes or their attachment means.
A plurality of thin or low-volume display objects can be displayed in a well distinguishable and conspicuous fashion with simultaneous low space requirement with the merchandise boxes configured such that each merchandise box defines an angle with an adjacent merchandise box, with the withdrawal openings of the two merchandise boxes in question being next to each other and facing radially to the outside. The described configuration is particularly advantageous for effectively displaying picture postcards and greetings cards, forms and the like, that is whenever what matters is to display picture surfaces as completely as possible without a large space requirement. With the modular configuration of the invention, the advantage in this case is that merchandise boxes of different depths adapted to the respective merchandise format can also be configured in the described star-shaped pattern. This in turn makes it possible, by varying the angle defined between two adjacent merchandise boxes, to keep the total circumference of the support post to which merchandise boxes are attached uniform and regular. This is preferably accomplished by means of suitable angular adapters for merchandise boxes.
In accordance with another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the adapter elements attached to the support post can be adjusted in height, either continuously or in steps, which optimizes the economy of space and allows the different heights of various display goods to be accommodated.
Yet another advantageous embodiment of the invention relates to the design of the circumferential edge portion of the adapter element and the corresponding attachment means which may be removably mounted on the merchandise boxes and which serve to attach the merchandise boxes to the adapter plate.
If separate, removable angular adapters for merchandise boxes are used for attaching the latterxe2x80x94which is advantageous since the use of different types of angular adapters for merchandise boxes allows different configurations to be accomplished with the same merchandise boxesxe2x80x94it is especially advantageous if the attachment means include profiles into which the merchandise boxes may be slid forming a push profile. The particularly advantageous star-shaped configurations already described above may best be realized by means of angular adapters for merchandise boxes which have two profiles spaced at an angle from each other and thus being capable of receiving two merchandise boxes each. For the described applications, dove-tail profiles are especially suitable, provided with a safety latch, thus forming a stable and at the same time easily removable connection of attachment means and merchandise box.
If the adapter plate has reinforcement means on its circumferential edge, then this will result in considerable weight and material savings on the one hand, at the same time maintaining the stability of the adapter plate. On the other hand, such reinforcement means may advantageously be used for removable connections with the special attachment means, in which case the attachment means include gripper extensions which snap or clip on the reinforced edge. The reinforced edge has shown to increase stability advantageously, and to be suited for clipping or snapping the attachment means onto it if it is in the form of a wall substantially perpendicular to the adapter plate surface, at the upper edge of which the attachment means may be hung and anchored in place by means of one or plural clamps at the bottom edge. If necessary, an edge reinforcement of this type may be stabilized by means of webs or ribs provided between the adapter plate surface and the reinforcement wall.
Angular adapters for merchandise boxes are particularly suitable for use in column display systems, in combination with adapter elements. However, they may just as well be used in other support systems, e.g. with flat wall elements or oblong, if necessary also flat wall rails.
As already discussed in detail, the display system of the invention is particularly suitable for exhibiting thin and low-volume objects. Many such objects are inherently not very rigid, hence they are only to some extent fit for an upright display position. A solution to this problem is the use of merchandise boxes equipped with clamping means holding the objects, single sheets, folded maps, thin magazines and the like to be received therein in an upright position.
The weight and the production costs of a modular display system according to the invention may advantageously be kept low if the support post, the adapter elements, if necessary the angular adapters for the merchandise boxes and the merchandise boxes themselves are made of plastic, with transparent plastics being particularly preferred for the merchandise boxes. For manufacturing the three latter components, the prior art plastic injection molding processes are especially suitable.
As a final point and for the sake of completeness, it should be noted that the inventive display system is preferably provided with an axially rotatable support post which may be mounted on a stand pedestal, like the prior art rotary columns, on a running gear on wheels or may be anchored stationary in the ground.